Keisse doping charges dismissed

The doping charges against track rider Iljo Keisse were dismissed Monday by the Belgian cycling federation. Keisse tested positive for cathine and HCT during the Six Days of Gent in November 2008 but it was ruled that there was insufficient scientific evidence that he knowingly used doping products.

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Cathine is a breakdown product of pseudo-ephedrine, an allowed product. It is contained in Sinutab Forte, a cold pill which Keisse admitted taking, and which the federation found not to be serious. In addition, there was no quantification of the drug in the B-sample analysis.

HCT can be a masking agent for other doping products, but the federation accepted the defence's argument that it came from a food supplement. The amount found was so small that it could not possibly have been performance enhancing.

Keisse had been fired by Topsport Vlaanderen last year and since then has been riding as an elite without contract. He did not attend the hearing as he is currently riding the Six Days of Grenoble.

His father Ronny was at the hearing and told Sporza.be that, “Naturally I am very happy. I had not dared to hope” for such a good result.